20 Facts About Douglas Foo

Douglas Foo Peow Yong is a Singaporean business executive and former Nominated Member of Parliament.

Douglas Foo is the founder and chairman of Sakae Holdings Ltd; as well as Singapore's Non Resident High Commissioner to Tanzania and appointed representative to the ASEAN Business Advisory Council.

Douglas Foo is the President of the Singapore Manufacturing Federation, Vice-President of the Singapore National Employers' Federation and Vice-Chairman of the Singapore Business Federation.

Douglas Foo's father, Foo Kia Hee, was an immigrant from Hainan, China and worked as a mechanical and electrical consultant.

Douglas Foo received his primary education at Red Swastika School, secondary education at Dunman High School and pre-university education at Victoria Junior College.

Douglas Foo had originally planned to study Engineering at the Nanyang Technological University, but decided to switch course to Business administration.

Douglas Foo graduated in 1994 with a Bachelor's degree in business administration.

Douglas Foo joined the SBF Council in 2014 as a member after having previously served on the SBF-led SME Committee.

Douglas Foo was appointed as Vice-Chairman of SBF in June 2018.

Douglas Foo recognised that Singaporeans were increasingly health conscious about their food.

Douglas Foo saw a business opportunity in providing Japanese food at prices more affordable to the masses as Japanese food, although healthy, was rather expensive at the time.

Douglas Foo travelled to Japan and Hong Kong to explore the concept of conveyor belt sushi, before opening the first outlet of Sakae Sushi at OUB Centre at Raffles Place in September 1997 during the 1997 Asian financial crisis.

Douglas Foo has since developed various other Food and Beverage brands.

Douglas Foo served as the chairman and chief executive officer of the company until 1 March 2014 when his sister Lilian Douglas Foo took over as the CEO.

In 2012, during an interview with radio station UFM100.3, Douglas Foo claimed that he was unable to fill 10 dishwasher positions at a salary of SGD$3,000 monthly.

Douglas Foo initially claimed the dishwashers would work nine hours a day, six days a week and the salary is equivalent to their managers and supervisors.

Douglas Foo later clarified that the $3,000 pay is achieved with overtime pay and had hired dishwashers with salaries between $2,300 to $2,900.

Douglas Foo said that instead of Sakae Sushi paying an agency $3,000 a month for a dishwasher, he would rather the company to pay the $3,000 directly to the dishwasher.

Douglas Foo served during the second session of 13th Parliament of Singapore, which commenced on 7 May 2018.

Douglas Foo is married to Koh Yen Khoon, who he met in 1988 while working at a Delifrance cafe.